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London - Franck Kessie's agent has revealed that Premier League leaders Chelsea had an offer rejected by Atalanta for the midfielder's services.
The 20-year-old has attracted interest from the Blues as well as top-flight rivals Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United after impressing for La Dea in the first-half of the season.
Kessie scored six goals in 16 appearances to help the Lombardy club challenge for European football as they sit one point outside the Serie A's top-five in sixth spot at the mid-season break.
The youngster, who will represent the Ivory Coast at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations next month, is in no rush to move on just yet, with the Blues facing stiff competition for his signature, according to his representative, George Atangana.
"We have a lot of interest from the Premier League - Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal," Atangana told the Guardian.
"I cannot say at this stage how much he will cost, but we are talking about one of the best young players in the world. But for us the most important thing is that the technical project is the right one for him.
"Chelsea are very interested and it is a great club, but we must take our time to consider all the options. Now we are [heading into] January and he has to play at the African Nations Cup for Ivory Coast, so I am not going to rush anything."
